Tractor.



L.'& L. L. MAYER & E. A. BYE.

Patented D00. 17, 1918.

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TRACTOR.

APPLICATION mw 05c. 13, 1913. RENEWED MAY 28.191].

1,288,165. Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

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TRACTOR. APPLICATION FILED 050.13.1913. RENEWED MAY 23 1911.

1,288,105, 7 Patented Dec. 17,1918.

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TRACTOR.

APPLICAHON FILED DEC.I3.1913. RENEWD MAY 28.191].

1,288, 1 O5. Patented Doc. 17, 1918.

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UNITED san'rns PAT NT ormon.

LOUIS MAYER, LORENZ L. MAYER, AND EDWIN A. EYE, OF MANKATO, MINNESOTA,

ASSIGNORS TO MAYER BROTHERS COMPANY, OF MANKATO, MINNESOTA, A COR- PORATION OF MINNESOTA.

TRACTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1'7, 1918.

Application filed December 13, 1913, Serial No. 806,439. Renewed May 28, 1917. Serial No. 171,572.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LoUIs MAYER, LORENZ L. MAYER, and EDWIN A. BYE, citizens of the United States, residing at Mankato, in the county of Blue Earth and State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tractors, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of this invention is the production of a tractor, which is simple, effective and economical in operation. More particularly this invention relates to the construction of a chassis frame and the method of supporting it upon the running gear. The frame is resiliently supported by and underslung from three bearings, carried by the axles, one at the front, and two at the rear, thus compensating most effectively for any inequalities in the surface of the road over which the wheels travel. The frame is also of simple and rigid construction and is adapted to carry its load without danger of tipping and to apply driving power at a point low down upon the drive wheels where it is very effective. The particular construction provided for transmitting power from the prime mover to the drive wheels is also made more efficient and effective and most economical, its construction providing means enabling the use of single reduction gearing. The invention also combines into the frame as a unitary structure the housing or casing of the power mechanism which increases strength and rigidity of structure. These features combined are adapted to cooperate with a tractor in supporting its load and apply its power flexibly and in compensating for lateral and vertical motion between the frame and its supporting parts without depreciating efficiency in the transmission of power. With the above and other objects and features in view the invention consists of the novel construction and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, claimed. and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tractor constructed in accordance with our invention; Fig. 2 is a plan of the chassis of the tractor, part of one of the drive wheels being broken away to expose the construction by which the drive wheels are revolved; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the frame of the chassis partly broken away and in section, one of the front wheels and one of the rear drive wheels not being shown; Fig. 4 is a front elevation partly broken away to expose some of the internal construction; Fig. 5 is a back view of the tractor partly broken away and in section; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a detail partly in section, and Fig. 7 is a section on the line XX of Fig. 6.

In the drawings A indicates the main frame of the chassis composed of a pair of longitudinal side channel bars 2 and 3, a rear end or cross bar '-it and a pillar member 5 to which the forward ends of the sides are secured by brackets 6. This frame is mounted upon the drive wheels 7 and the steered wheels 9 in a manner and by the construction to be hereinafter described. The power and transmission mechanism on the chassis is carried by the frame A and adapted to drive the wheels 7 through the use of suitable pinions such as 10, and shaft 8 which are revolved by the power mechanism and carried by the frame, the teeth of said pinions being adapted to mesh with the teeth of internal gears such as 11 carried on the inner surface of the rim of each drive wheel. The power mechanism of usual construction is adapted to transmit energy from the prime mover such as a gas engine to the drive pinions and is suitably inclosed in an engine housing 12, clutch housing 13, transmission housing 14, differential housing 15 and shaft housing 16, all of these housings being rigidly interconnected, self sustaining and forming a single casing rigid with the frame. being mounted upon said frame by means of the bolts 17 passing through suitable flanges or brackets 18 into the side bars of the frame. Hence the casing and frame A reinforce each other, strengthening and buttressing the same against all strains which a structure of its kind is subjected to in the operation of the tractor. The pillar 5 is also adapted to act in the same capacity and the frame when taken with these parts is adapted to produce a most efficient and effective unitary structure cooperating with the drive wheels and transmitting power thereto most advantageously. The frame is underslung from the front and rear axles 19 and 20, there being provided a three point suspension, one point being on the middle line at the front end of the frame on the front axle and two at opposite sides of the rear end of the frame on the rear axle.

The pillar 5 is in the form of a channel member having two sides 21 and 21 and a connecting web 22 atthe top forming a passage extending lengthwise across the front end of the frame and extending in height above and below the horizontal plane of the frame. The rear side of the pillar is additionally supported by the brace 23, which is secured to the side bars 2 and 3 and bolted through and across the lower middle portions of the sides 21 and 21 by the shank 24. and nut 25, a sleeve 26 being carried by said shank and interposed between the sides to hold them evenly spaced and braced apart. The pillar is also formed near its middle portion between its ends with vertial channels or passages 27, in its sides in which a holder or yoke 28 is free to slide vertically. Between the sides of this yoke the middle portion between the ends of the shaft 19 is supported upon the pivot 29 which permits the shaft to rock in substantially a vertical plane. The sides of the pillar are also formed with pairs of ribs 30 and 31 between the ribs constituting each pair, the sides of the shaft are guided up and down to prevent or limit longitudinal movement of the shaft in the yoke. A compression spring 32 is seated in a recess 33 in the top of the pillar above the vertical passages for the holder the lower end of said spring pressing against the top of the holder and serving to support the pillar and its load upon the axle. The steered wheels are journaled upon the front axle in the usual manner. the construction illustrated consisting of forked ends 35, a spindle such as 36 in each of the wheels formed with a bracket 37 and a pivot 38 passing vertically through the forks on the end of the axle and the bracket, thus providing means whereby the steered wheels are free to revolve and to be guided. T he brackets are shown connected by lever arms 39 and a rod a0 whereby the wheels are adapted to be guided in synchronism, one of said brackets being formed with a steering lever 41 in the usual manner. By this construction the forward end of the frame is mounted at a single bearing point on its middle line by .a spring suspension which is adapted to permit the front axle to move vertically and also rock up and down. This front axle suspension structure is claimed in applicants companion application, Serial Number 806,231.

The suspension mounting of the rear end of the frame A is by means of a pair of similarly constructed yokes 42, the lower ends of the sides 43 of which are formed with flanges 44, bolted to the side bars of the frame. The adjacentfaces 45 of the sides 43 form guides upon which the bearing block l6 is fitted to permit up and down move ment thereof. in the yoke. The bearing blocks such as 46 carry the shaft 20 extending across the frame. The upper end of each yoke 42 is formed with a recess 47 in which the coil spring 48 is seated by its upper end, the lower end of said spring being seated in a recess 49 against the top of the bearing block 46. By this construction the rear end of the frame is resilient-1y supported and hung from the axle 20. It will be noted that the adjacent guide surfaces of the yokes incline upwardly and rearwardly, the line of said inclination being pitched so that the teeth of the pinions 10 will not bind between the teeth of the gears 11 when the rear end of the frame moves up and down. The inner faces 50 and 51 (see Fig. 5) which overlap the side edges of the guide surfaces 45 are convexed sufficiently to permit the bearing blocks on the opposite sides of the vehicle moving freely up and down independent of one another without binding when the frame tilts laterally.

The method of constructing the bearing blocks as employed is by securing side plates such as 52 upon the core member 53, such as by bolts 54, said plates and core member being suitably passaged laterally to journal or hold the shaft 20, and one of said plates being detachable to permit of the ready removal of the boxes from the yokes. The gears on the drive wheels are similar in construction, one gear being applied to each of the inner surfaces of the rims of the drive wheels. Each gear is formed with parallel fiat rings at its ends between which the teeth 56 are connected, the roots of the teeth being formed with spaces 57 between them throughwhich any earth or other material caught by the teethis free to pass and prevent clogging and breaking of the teeth. The teeth and rings are formed as a unitary structure and provided with fastening stirrups formed by plates 58 connected to part of the teeth and the sides by webs 59, said plates being fastened to a rim of the wheel as by bolts 60 and as many stirrups bein provided as are necessaryfor supporting the gear upon the wheel with out danger of any of the parts becoming broken when in use. The axle or drive shaft 8 carries the pinions 10 upon its ends and is adapted to be suitably journaled inthehousing 16, projecting from the ends of the transmission housing 15and as the frameA pinions 10 are free to turn upon the gears carried by the drivewheels. This particular manner of mounting the frame is adapted to apply the driving force to the drive ;1I 10Ves up and down-upon the axle 20, the t wheels low down and in a direct manner, the driving parts being rigidly held against any uneven motion and being compensated by the frame as the latter moves. Any side thrust of the frame is prevented at its forward end by the holder in the pillar and at its rear end by the bearing blocks working upon the guides in the yokes. This riving structure arranged as shown herein is claimed in applicants companion application Serial Number 806,232.

In accordance with the patent statutes, we have described the principles of operation of our invention together with the apparatus which we now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof but we desire to have it understood that the construction shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within the scope of the following claims.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. In a tractor, front and rear axles, a frame suspended from said axles at three points, one at the front end of said frame and two at the opposite sides near the rear portion of said frame, each of the rear suspension devices consisting of a yoke having an up and down passage between its sides and a recess in its upper end, a bearing block mounted upon the rear axle and adapted to be guided up and down by the sides of said yoke, and a spring seated in said recess and bearing downwardly against the top of said bearing to resiliently support the load of the yoke upon said axle, said bearing block having a core member fitting between the sides of said yoke and overlapping side members secured to said core member having ends overlapping the sides of the yoke to hold the bearing block in place in the yoke, the inner adjacent faces of said end plates being formed with pairs of inwardly facing convex surfaces on opposite sides of Copies of this patent may be obtained for said yoke and permitting the bearing block to tilt with the rocking movement of the rear shaft.

2. In a tractor, front and rear axles, a frame suspended from said axles at three points, one on the front axle at the front end of said frame and two on the rear axle at the opposite sides of the rear end of said frame, each of said rear suspension devices consisting of a yoke fastened upon the top of one of the sides of said frame and having inner opposite guide surfaces, a bearing block upon said rear axle slidable up and down upon said guide surfaces in said yoke, said bearing block having pairs of oppositely disposed convex surfaces engaging over the side edges of said yoke and adapted to permit the tilting movement of the rear axle and a spring interposed between the upper end of said yoke and the top of said bearing block to resiliently support the load of the yoke on the axle.

3. The combination with a tractor having a front axle, a rear axle supported by drive wheels and a body mounted at one end for rocking movement upon the front axle, said body carrying gear driving mechanism for said rear wheels, of a device secured to the other end of said body, a bearing block fastened to said rear axle and disposed for reciprocation within said device, a spring interposed between the upper face of said block and the adjacent portion of said device, anda pair of spaced members having adjacent convex faces carried by the rear axle on eachside of said device for permitting lateral rocking motion thereto.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS MAYER. LORENZ L. MAYER. EDWIN A. BYE.

WVitnesses:

H. F. LEONARD, J OSEPH S. MARKA.

five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

